Addiction Recovery Program

There are currently a number of addiction recovery programs; some emphasize a specific drug-of-choice, while the most popular, Narcotics Anonymous, covers addictions to drugs in general.

A good addiction recovery program contains three main points of focus: the program will help the addict to recognize and admit that he has a problem; it will give him the “tools” which he needs in order to recover; and it will also provide him with the knowledge that he can indeed move on with his life.

Narcotics Anonymous, which was based on the format of Alcoholics Anonymous, encourages the individual to take a hard look at not only his drug use but also his behavior patterns, attitudes, and other problems which occurred either as a result of his drug use or were present before he began using. This program then encourages him to honestly assess what he himself has done to cause difficulties in his own life and the lives of other people, and change his ways of living. A big part of this change is the need to “make amends” to the people whom he has harmed or wronged in any way. The principle behind this is that a person cannot truly begin a new way of life if he is either still harming other people or if he has not yet taken responsibility for what he has done in the past.

This particular addiction recovery program has two main books which anyone who truly wishes to deal with his addictions will find essential. The Basic Text of Narcotics Anonymous is quite complete in itself, but “It Works: How and Why” presents both the problems and the solutions in even more detail.

The main point that a person is meant to learn from Narcotics Anonymous is that one's drug use was only a symptom of much larger life problems. Quitting drugs is only the first step; for true recovery, a person must be willing to work through the rest of the process.

Narcotics Anonymous makes it very clear that no matter what the degree or length of one's drug addiction has been, the person does indeed possess the ability to leave it behind and have a happy, quality life. The key to this ability is in the addict's own willingness to change basically everything about himself-- his lifestyle, his attitudes, his behavior, and his ways of relating to other people. This willingness is where the person will gain hope.

Addiction recovery programs offer 12-Step program meetings. These meetings are for the purpose of sharing what one has learned, interacting with others who have the same problems, and learning from each other what recovery is all about. When someone enters the Narcotics Anonymous program, he is advised to get a Sponsor, which is a person who has been in the program longer, has been successful with his own recovery process, and can serve as a guide or helper for the newcomer to do his Stepwork. A Sponsor should be of one's own gender, basically stable and responsible, and thoroughly familiar with the program as a whole.